[Birch Tree Bark Was Used By Abenaki For Wigwams, Canoes]
John Battist (Sabattis)
b. c1760 St. John, PQ. Canada - d. aft1832 VT/CAN?
Indian Ranger - 1780-81 - Capt. John Vincent's Co.
Gen. Jacob Bayley Regt. - Revoluntionary War - VT
John Battist (Abenaki)
b. St. John PQ Canada
d.
m1. unknown Canada had children
m2. Mary___ St. Francis PQ Canada
m3. unknown Vermont
children known:
1. John Battist
b. 1800-1810 St. Francis PQ Canada
lived 1840 Census Danville, Caledonia, Vermont
2. Joseph Battist (Batease)
b. May 1809/20 Burlington, Vermont (St. Francis?)
d. 16 Jun 1897 Weston, Vermont
m1. 12 Jul 1844 Hubbardton, Vermont
Laura Westcott (10 children)
m2. 05 Jul 1872 Whiting, Vermont
Susan Rodgers (Rogers)(8 children)
3. Betsey Batease*
b. 03 Jul 1832 Burlington, Vermont
d. 18 Dec 1917 Castleton, Vermont
m. 27 Sep 1850 Tinmouth, Vermont
Nathan Westcott
*Note: Betsey is a bit of a mystery to me. Her
age would make her fit into John, Jr.'s children
and would make Joseph her uncle, yet on the census
record she is listed as Joseph's half sister living
in Joseph's household.
It is well known that the Abenaki, called "the invisible"
were masters at "being", but not seen. The lighter skin,
the farming skills, the fishing skills, enabled them to live
in the white man's world without their race being questioned.
Sometimes you saw an Abenaki settlement, blink it was gone and
so were they. Or were they?
My family always said we had Indian blood running in our veins.
When pressed to give the lineage they would say it was through
Sallie (Wescott) Batease, wife of Ira. It was told her mother,
Lucy (Smith) Wescott was of native blood. And she may have
been, but neither my cousin nor myself ever found the native
blood in Lucy's line. My grandfather said very little.
We were always told that Joseph Battist's father was John.
His mother, Mary____. Because Joseph listed in the Census
that Betsey Batease was his half/sister, we also assumed
John had been married at least two times. When Betsey
applied for a pension, the records state she claimed her
birth record was lost, but she was born in Burlington, VT.
Another distant cousin of the family told me his family
claimed John came down from Canada leaving a wife and
family there, and married several times in Vermont. Another
account said that when he came down from St. Francis, he
brought 2 sons with him.
His family claimed that John was a Mounty and lived near
the Montreal area. I wrote to the Mounties, and there
was no record of him, under any spelling.
Our family claimed John was a sheriff or a constable from
Montreal.
In reality John was an Indian Ranger 1780-81. We just
"assumed" he was a French Canadian. We also assumed that the
name John Battist was probably John Baptiste with the actual
surname being lost or dropped in Vermont. For instance, I found
a record of a John Bettis who lived upper NY State, then moved
into Vermont, only to find out his real name was Jean-Baptiste
Perrin. Because the Jean-Baptiste was said together, in Vermont,
the surname Perrin was dropped and he became simply John Bettis.
For this reason, I assumed the same thing happened to our John
Battist and we would never know who he was. It is also possible
the name Battist comes from Abenaki Sabattis, Sabatis, Sabatus.
There was a John Battis, that died at the age of 101, in northern
Vermont, above Burlington, that I will look into further as well.
All of my family records come from the following: Birth,
death, marriage and burial records. Census Records.
Cemetery Records. Land grants and deeds. Military records,
Pension Papers and Enrollment Lists. I have notebooks
and notebooks of genealogical records on my ancestors. It
has been a life long endeaver since I was in my teens.
Betsey E. Battist, Batease
(dau. of John Battist, and unknown mother)
born: 03 Jul 1832 Burlington, Vermont
died: 18 Dec 1917 Castleton, Vermont
mar : 27 Sep 1850 Tinmouth, Vermont
Nathan Wescott (s/o Nicholas Westcott & #2. Phebe Hines)
born: 27 Sep 1825 Pittsford, Vermont
died: 11 Dec 1862 Seneca, Maryland (Civil War)
bur : Arlington National Cemetery Grave # 7069
children:
1. Joseph Lyman Westcott
b. 03 Feb 1852 Pittsford, Vermont
d. 25 Feb 1926
m. 23 Sep 1891
Eva S. Parker
2. Ellen Flora Wescott
b. 09 May 1853 Pittsford, Vermont
d. 16 Jul 1938
m. 07 Apr 1880
Martin VanBuren Ashley
3. Mary Rosetta Westcott
b. 02 Apr 1856 Pittsford, Vermont
d. 09 Jan 1937 Rutland, Vermont
m. 27 Sep 1890
James P. Corcoran
4. Sarah Emeline Westcott
b. 18 May 1861 Pittsford, Vermont
d. 11 Oct 1932
m. 15 Dec 1879
Frederick S. Sleeper